Stylets are flexible metal wires often as miniscule as 0.010” (0.254mm) in diameter. Cannulas are hollow, exceedingly narrow tubes with inner diameters of approximately 0.013” (0.3302mm). Cannulas are frequently used to house needles or stylets for IVs and syringes.

Assembling such constructions brings several challenges, precision first and foremost. The wire insertion process requires accuracy of ± 21 µm, angular tolerance of 1.5°, and robot movements with ± 5 µm accuracy. From a quality control standpoint, stylets must not touch the inner wall of the cannula, which could damage the stylet. Variability is also a concern, as stylets differ in key attributes such as wire bends, angles, and lengths. Considering this, any machine solution must be exceptionally flexible.

Automation NTH solved these challenges by utilizing a Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm 4 (SCARA 4) axis robot, along with two tabletop-mounted servo motors permitting independent motion. The configuration allows the machine to tilt the syringe, holding the cannula in the Theta X and Theta Y directions to handle angle variability in the stylets. To accommodate for stylet variability, the machine utilizes vision to guide the robot into position, then aligns the cannula with the stylet for insertion.

Automation NTH’s Vision Guided Robotic Wire Insertion machine incorporates a robotic gripper, which picks a cannula from a nest and threads it into the syringe body, fixing it into place. A corresponding robotic arm then picks a stylet from the nest and moves it to an approach position, presenting it to inspection cameras that record and measure offsets.

The system thus employs a delicate feedback loop between the robot, camera, and servo motors. The cameras record and measure, while the robots adjust the stylets and cannulas as needed based on this information. The process is then repeated until the stylet is lined up within ± 21 µm, achieving this incredibly tight tolerance via a “progress until perfection” setup.

“This Vision Guided Robotic Wire Insertion machine demonstrates Automation NTH’s ability to create innovative solutions for complex, high precision assembly applications,” said Peter Sarvey, Head of Sales at Automation NTH.

About Automation NTH

Founded in 1999 and headquartered outside of Nashville, TN with a facility in San Diego, CA, Automation NTH is a trusted partner in automation for manufacturers. Our expertise transforms your manufacturing operations from manual processes to semi-automated and fully automated production. Whether scaling up from individual work cells or introducing fully integrated production lines, we deliver solutions that drive cost savings, enhance efficiency, and minimize risks. With a strong focus on robotics and controls, we ensure timely delivery of projects with strict adherence to budget. Our innovative approaches improve production capacity, product quality, and enable operator autonomy. Our services include: Custom Automation, Equipment Optimization, and Automation Consulting. Let us turn Automation into your Competitive Advantage!

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A new report released today by MHI and Deloitte finds that 55% of supply chain leaders are increasing their supply chain technology and innovation investments with 60% saying they are planning to spend over $1 million. Nineteen percent plan to spend over $10 million.

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3D Infotech’s software platform is designed for seamless integration with Universal Robots’ latest AI Accelerator, enhancing production processes by improving decision-making through computer vision and optimizing motion control with AI driven training models. Built on NVIDIA’s Jetson Orin and PolyScope X, the AI Accelerator delivers a superior customer experience while significantly reducing robot programming time. This allows workers to focus less on development and troubleshooting and more on efficiency and innovation.

As a category creator for Universal Metrology Automation® in 2017, 3D Infotech has led advancements in Universal Machine Learning®, using deep learning algorithms to detect, classify, and quantify visual defects in manufacturing. With over 350 systems deployed—primarily in the aerospace and automotive sectors—3D Infotech is now setting the stage for Adaptive Manufacturing, where robots think and adapt rather than just execute pre-programmed tasks.

The AI Accelerator plays a crucial role in this evolution by simplifying AI deployment, enhancing automation efficiency, and enabling real-time decision-making. With its seamless integration into robotics systems, unmatched computing power, and full ROS2.0 support, the AI Accelerator helps manufacturers transition toward a more autonomous, data-driven production environment.

The AI-driven automated inspection system being showcased at GTC highlights how efficient, precise, and scalable automated quality control can be in modern manufacturing environments. Key features include:

• Universal Path Planning

Optimized movement strategies for efficient and adaptable inspections.

• Deep Learning & Neural Networks

AI-powered recognition of parts, orientation, and location, enabling intelligent adaptation to varying inspection scenarios.

• Automated Decision Making

High-precision measurement and defect detection for enhanced quality control to analyze data, enabling real-time decision-making.

• Instant Visual Feedback

Get real-time inspection insights for faster decision-making and improved quality control.

• AI-Driven Dynamic Collision Avoidance

Real-time obstacle detection using AI-powered cameras to ensure seamless operation.

• Unattended Operation

Fully automated workflows reduce manual intervention and maximize efficiency.

• Statistical Process Control (SPC)

Continuous monitoring and data-driven insights to maintain process stability. Gain deep insights into quality trends and process optimization.

Zsolt Pataki, 3D Infotech’s VP of Innovation highlights that “The Platform at GTC enhances speed, accuracy, and automation, minimizing manual intervention and ensuring real-time inspection. This AI-powered solution boosts security,  performance, and efficiency, setting a new standard for the Metrology industry.”

About 3D Infotech

Founded in Irvine, CA in 2005, 3D Infotech is changing dimensional and visual inspection processes with Universal Metrology Automation® helping manufacturing companies make data-driven decisions in quality control.

About Universal Robots

Universal Robots is a leading robotics company with over 1,000 employees, committed to creating a world where people work with robots, not like robots. Since launching its first collaborative robot in 2008, the company has transformed work globally.

Its collaborative robots help businesses overcome labor shortages, enhance sustainability, and improve work environments. With a unique approach to automation, Universal Robots is enabling companies worldwide to automate with ease.

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By automatically adjusting airflow CFM volume to match the cutting load, the patented double turbine-driven mechanism in Air Turbine Live Tools® assures consistent high-rated speed during the cutting process and enables 6 to 10 X faster production cycles on any lathe.

This governed mechanism eliminates the challenges posed by nominal high-speed products which drop speed in cut on the toolpath. The lack of consistent high speed causes tool breakage and sub-optimal or inconsistent finished surface quality. By contrast, Air Turbine Live Tools® optimize small tool performance and enhance surface finish while cutting down production time exponentially.

Air Turbine Live Tools® direct drive system has just two moving parts and air-cooled precision bearings. The system does not generate heat or burnout like electro-spindles. In continuous 24/7 micro-machining operations, Air Turbine Live Tools® stay cool, maintain zero thermal growth, and deliver consistent 2-micron accuracy.

Installation is simple. Users can connect dry 90 psi (6.2 bar) compressed air and activate with an M Code or Solenoid. This is unlike traditional technologies with complex hour-long set-ups involving control boxes, wiring, and lubrication.

The 822CX and 825CX dimensions fit most holders. Air Turbine Live Tools® are operational within moments of being placed into a tool holder. Smaller side air feed units are also available for added flexibility in machines with tight dimensions, such as Cincom and Star.

Everything, including a filter extractor and hose, is included in a case with Air Turbine Live Tools®. Ultra Precision ER8 and ER11 UP Rego-Fix ER collet systems are standard on Air Turbine Live Tools® and h7 bodies assure precision.

Rather than changing the speed of the traditional electro-spindle for different cutting tools, the operator of fixed high-speed Air Turbine Live Tools® simply adjusts the rate of advance programmed to achieve the desired Surface Feed per Minute for any tool. No lengthy adjustment in a control box is needed.

Air Turbine Live Tools® are ideal for applications in industries where production pressure, precision, and finish quality are critical, such as electronics, medical, optical, implant, and food production. With its sealed design, this oil-free live tool is ideal for cleanrooms, emitting no oil mist that could contaminate parts or the workspace, and remaining unaffected by machine coolant.

Most notably the 822CX and 825CX at 60,000 RPM and 80,000 RPM change the economics of lathe operations with small tools combining affordability with material reduction in cost per part produced. Air Turbine Live Tools® also require no maintenance, eliminating downtime, and operate without lubrication and associated costs.

Setting a new benchmark in affordability, these tools are priced at just one-third or less of the cost of traditional live tools.

The 822CX and 825CX are best sellers in an extensive range of Air Turbine Live Tools® available with Outside Diameters from 19.5 mm to 40 mm to fit tool holders on all types of lathes. At fixed governed speeds from 40,000 to 80,000 RPM, power ratings are available from 0.15 HP (0.11 kW) in the mini 800 Series to 0.8 HP (0.6 kW) in larger units.

The revolutionary 822CX and 825CX were developed with input from the Swiss industry leader, Tornos of Moutier, Switzerland, the respected pioneer in sliding head lathe manufacturing for over a century.

The company’s expertise continues to be applied to provide innovative high-speed solutions for the manufacturing industry across the world.

About Air Turbine Technology Inc.

Air Turbine Technology Inc. since 1988 has invented, patented, and proven a range of revolutionary high-speed spindles, live tools, motor mounts, and hand tools. Air Turbine Tools, Motors, and Spindles® are high-speed pneumatic tools used by manufacturers for cutting, grinding, engraving, drilling, or finishing materials in industrial processes, delivering superior performance in applications that demand high-speed, precision, and reliability at 25,000 to 90,000 RPM with power to 1.4HP. This new generation of products increases airflow volume to the turbine to match cutting load, ensuring consistent high speed without sacrificing power.

Air Turbine Spindles and Motors® operate reliably without generating heat to affect precision at 2 micron and have no duty cycle limitations.

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Siemens’ PAVE360 development and validation environment for system-of-systems requires powerful graphics acceleration for accurate simulation of scenario realization, as well as accelerated execution of AI perception, recognition, inference models, and infotainment visualization. The combination of high-performance AMD processors and GPUs and Azure offers impressive performance for these critical tasks.

“We’re excited to collaborate with Microsoft and AMD. We recognize that our customers have a preference in cloud platforms and associated hardware resources when deploying development platforms for SDV,” said David Fritz, vice president, Hybrid and Virtual Systems, Siemens Digital Industries Software. “With PAVE360 recognized as key enabler for SDV development, extending our support to Microsoft Azure and AMD hardware gives our customers greater flexibility.”

For automotive manufacturers to make the leap to true SDV development, a step change is needed in development methodology. PAVE360 running on Azure offers users the sophisticated cloud development features necessary for scalable SDV development while providing a system-aware view of behavior and the capability of identifying complex fault mechanisms.

In many instances software, hardware and system defects are not found until late in the design cycle or, worse still, when the fleet is deployed resulting in costly recalls and potentially significant brand damage. A system-aware approach to SDV validation helps to uncover these defects early in the modelling and simulation phase at which point many thousands of virtual scenarios can be run to isolate corner cases that otherwise would be missed. With the support of industry leaders such as Microsoft and AMD, Siemens brings system-aware SDV validation to the forefront with PAVE360.

“Our collaboration with Siemens and Microsoft allows automotive developers to leverage our leading AMD Radeon PRO GPUs and EPYC processors to power next generation ADAS and autonomous vehicle technologies,” said Salil Raje, senior vice president and general manager, Adaptive and Embedded Computing, AMD. “We are excited to support Siemens’ PAVE360 on AMD systems to enable developers with advanced automotive digital twin environments and help accelerate SDV.”

“By leveraging Azure’s robust infrastructure and AMD’s GPUs, PAVE360 now offers exceptional performance and scalability for Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) development,” said Dayan Rodriguez, corporate vice president, Manufacturing and Mobility, Microsoft. “This collaboration highlights our commitment to driving innovation in the automotive industry, enabling manufacturers to achieve a system-aware approach to SDV validation and ensuring the highest standards of safety and reliability.”

A PAVE360 demonstrator, leveraging Siemens’ Innexis Virtual System Interconnect (VSI) software and featuring AMD Radeon GPUs running on Microsoft Azure in the PAVE360 environment, will be shown at Embedded World March 11th-14th in Hall 4 / Booth Number 4-530.

About Siemens Digital Industries Software

Siemens Digital Industries Software helps organizations of all sizes digitally transform using software, hardware and services from the Siemens Xcelerator business platform. Siemens’ software and the comprehensive digital twin enable companies to optimize their design, engineering and manufacturing processes to turn today’s ideas into the sustainable products of the future. From chips to entire systems, from product to process, across all industries. Siemens Digital Industries Software – Accelerating transformation.

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Combilift, a global leader in innovative material-handling solutions, is dedicated to supporting STEM education and nurturing the future workforce. By hosting this event, the company aims to bridge the gap between classroom learning and industry applications, encouraging students to explore careers in engineering and technology.

At the event, St. Macartan’s VEX Robotics Team, winners of the 2025 the North West Regional Finals, presented their award-winning robot to over 250 students from local schools and talked about the process and skills involved in designing, building and programming a robot. To get a full overview of the competitions a friendly match was held, highlighting the excitement and technicalities of the high-calibre VEX competitions.

Brendan Mc Avera, St. Macartan’s College teacher said: “I am the computer science teacher and in 15 years of teaching, this is probably the best thing I’ve ever been involved in. It really shows the inspiration you can get back from your students when you give them a project to do, and they put their heart and soul into it, and they get their rewards since they’ve won three awards this year”

Through interactive demonstrations and hands-on experiences, young learners gained insight into the real-world applications of STEM and the vital role robotics plays in modern industries.

Martin McVicar continued: “By engaging with these cutting-edge technologies, students can develop skills specific to robotics, hydraulics, and programming, as well as other vital skills such as teamwork, strategy, and problem-solving. These abilities are essential for students’ curricula and are transferable to their future careers in STEM, including potential apprenticeships at Combilift or paths in engineering.”

Martin McVicar also emphasised: “Listening to the skills these students have developed; it makes you proud. It feels like you have a Formula One team in front of you. When you look at the different roles each person plays and the skills they have developed, these abilities will serve them well throughout their lives.”

Through initiatives like this, Combilift continues to play a prominent role in motivating young minds to think innovatively and develop the skills necessary for their futures. By investing in the next generation of engineers, Combilift is helping to shape a brighter tomorrow for everyone.

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Direct Dimensions, a leader in 3D scanning and digital modeling solutions, is proud to announce the launch of its latest innovation, the Part Automated Scanning System (PASS). This groundbreaking 3D scanning solution was designed to revolutionize how industries digitize physical objects, by offering unprecedented speed and accuracy. At the touch of a button, PASS can scan an object in approximately two minutes, eliminating the need for manual part flipping, scanner repositioning, or complex software manipulation. This efficiency makes it cost-effective to digitize large collections of objects in a reasonable timeframe, without requiring highly trained technicians.

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Many new tower block development projects face a common challenge: how to install large, heavy pieces of equipment into the building’s energy centre, typically located in the basement. Specifying the optimal hoists is paramount to project success. Fortunately, the subcontractor supplying and installing the energy room’s plant for this particular project knew where to turn for a turnkey lifting solution: Hoist & Winch Ltd.

Hoist & Winch has extensive experience in all kinds of construction and industrial lifting applications. The company offers sales, installation, service, inspection, repair and hire services, with a special emphasis on project work. Supplying the optimal solution, with safety as the number one priority, is always the objective.

During the design phase, after formal tender and contract award, Hoist & Winch set about identifying the optimal solution by carefully assessing the specific lifting requirements. The project required the installation of hoists on both the upper and lower ground floor levels to ensure the successful lifting and transfer of large energy plant. It was clear from the outset that the solution would need to overcome the issue of very tight headroom clearances due to the size of the equipment.

After thoroughly considering all aspects of the project, Hoist & Winch Ltd was able to put forward its proposal, recommending two William Hacket low-headroom manual hoists, both with a hand-geared trolley. Offering a safe working load (SWL) of 2.5t each, the hoists provide 8m of lifting height and run on beam lengths of 8.5m and 7.0m.

Hoist & Winch duly submitted its design proposal, including drawings and structural calculations, for approval by engineers at the main contractor. Following approval, the company commenced manufacture before delivery to site.

During the installation phase, Hoist & Winch tested the installation anchor points to 1t before raising each beam into position using hand chain blocks. Elevating the beams to full height and clamping them hard against the concrete ceiling ready for drilling required the use of special lifting rigs. Once in position, the company proceeded with drilling operations and resin anchor installation for all ceiling anchor points after meticulously cleaning each hole with a special heavy-duty internal brush and suction pump. Following the specified resin curing time, Hoist & Winch tightened each anchor bolt to the required torque levels.

LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations) inspection of the lifting beams and manual chain hoist units was the final operation. This activity included dynamic load testing of both beam lengths with a 2.5t skid-mounted test load followed by 125% static proof load test in accordance with BS 2853 2011. As a point of note, following customer handover, the hoists were to remain in place for use by the on-site maintenance team.

“We provided the client with a comprehensive project records and documentation package upon completion of works, which is standard practice,” says Hoist & Winch Director Andy Allen. “We then went through the handover process to ensure total peace of mind for our client. At Hoist & Winch, our focus is on ensuring customers benefit from our exceptionally knowledgeable team who never fail to deliver on their promise of providing a detailed and proficient approach to every project.”

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Compact Layout and Ultimate Configurability

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With a quality management system that conforms to ISO 9001 standards in place, the company can now meet customer and other stakeholder needs within statutory and regulatory requirements related to their products.

The company started the certification process in January of this year because they saw the need for ISO certification to better support current and future customers. To do so, E-Z LOK partnered with a consulting company to design and build out their quality management system (QMS). Then, they implemented the QMS within their company. Lastly, the QMS was audited by an external company, thus verifying that the QMS was in place and effective.

Commenting on the benefits of the certification, Lindsly-Roach said, “This gives us the potential to work with OEMs and distributors who need a robust quality system in place for their vendors. It opens up additional business opportunities for us with those customers who require an ISO certification for their suppliers.”

About E-Z LOK

E-Z LOK is a leading manufacturer and master distributor of threaded inserts for metal, plastic and wood. Inserts for metal include solid wall and helical wire-thread inserts, while inserts for plastic feature press-in and ultrasonic/heat stake designs. Those for wood are die cast zinc alloy hex drives for softwood and brass knife threads for hardwood. A variety of kits for the above inserts are available and feature installation tools, drill bits, etc.

E-Z LOK is a third-generation family owned and operated company. Founded in 1956, it primarily sells North American OEM’s, end users and the DIY market through local, regional and national industrial distributors.

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